8 Ways To Pep Up Your Popularity

Here’s a round-up of advice from scientists

- Amanda Riley-Jones

1 SPEND TIME WITH PEOPLE YOU WANT TO BEFRIEND  Psychologists say that people tend to like people who are familiar to them—according to the ‘mere exposure effect’. Canadian psychologist Dr Patrick Keelan explains, “It’s a response built into us as a result of our evolutionary past, when people were more likely to survive if they approached people and other creatures only once they had determined they were nonthreatening.” So schedule regular activities with others, and the more time you spend together, the more you will grow to like each other.

2 TALK POSITIVELY ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE

Try a little ‘spontaneous trait transference’. When you talk about another person, listeners unconsciously associate you with the characteristics you’re describing. “So, say positive and pleasant things about friends and colleagues, and you are seen as a nice person,” advises Professor Richard Wiseman in his book 59 Seconds: Think a Little, Change a Lot.